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@Finley As asked, but undetailed. Good luck, S. W_^V »
He emerged from the den, intending to do more than sit on his ass, and waste away. More than anything, if he got no exercise, then he'd get fat. The name 'Ashton' was not for a fat wolf.
He had hunt, fish, fight, talk, play, walk, anything, before his head imploded. Taking his cue from the chirp of a robin, the doctor started his day.
First, he went to a lake.
Gotdamnit, this lake.
Too many memories of this lake.
He was just here for a bath. Nothing more.
The blond teen brought himself to the edge of the lake, and slowly making his way in. Once his paws no longer touched the bottom, he swam.
After Ash dunked himself a few times, he made his way back to shore, and shook himself as dry as he could get.
He didn't move to leave the lake. He didn't want to.
So instead of following with the original plan to taking a run, the clean teen went prone, and cast a look over the lake, losing himself in his own thoughts.
Fin had heard that Ashton was back. Truthfully, she had thought very little of it expect for to warn little Eljay that he must NEVER learn to speak from the bizarre hippy. The only thought that had plagued her about his return was wondering if Somnia might appear now as well. The Blackthorn had mixed feelings on this. While she had for a while considered the former gamma a friend, paranoia and suspicion had twisted her memories of the girl into a devious usurper - trying to take from Fin both her rank and her mate. While now she was perfectly confident in her claim on both Beta and Elwood, she did not much like the idea of having a contender return to their ranks, especially not when she had Eljay's safety to think of.
These were fears she had not shared with her mate, though, even as he had told her about the golden wolf's arrival upon their borders. Fin had smiled and given her approval of Peregrine's decree that the male would serve in their lowest rank until he proved himself, but otherwise had kept her feelings of foreboding a secret to Elwood, as she often did when her thoughts turned dark or unpleasant. It probably couldn't exactly be considered "healthy" for their relationship, but it was the feisty Blackthorn's way, and so she carried on with it as though the nagging doubt that was at that moment present in her mind as she strode along the shores of the lake, was in fact not there at all.
Her ears perked at the sound of gentle splashing and eagerly she strode forward in hopes that some sort of gull was flapping about further down the shore, innocently waiting for her to snap its head off. What she found instead was the very object that fueled her concern, whom she decided to approach in spite of rather wanting to not be anywhere near him.
"So the rumors are true," Fin quipped as she settled down upon the shore, eying him with a mild smirk.
Ash flinched at the words, the unexpected catching him completely off the guard he never had.
Well, shit.
Should probably get on that.
On what?
Getting a guard.
Not the Fin?
Oh, right. Her too.
"Didn't know I was rad enough to be a rumor. Diggin it, though."
Finally, he turned his blond layered skull to the greyscale, a light but more somber and drained smile slated on his maw.
"What's flyin, Finny Fin Fin? You been chill lately?"
As much as it would have hurt his own feelings to admit it to himself if he were himself, he kinda didn't care how she was. He didn't care anything about the newly mothered/mated fae. But as long as he could look like he did, he could keep trying to go back to his norms.
The golden male responded in typical Ashton fashion. As much as his way of speech bugged her, it was nice to see that he hadn't changed too much. The feeling would go away soon enough, she knew. Probably in a couple more sentences.
"Ah you know, as chill as you can be with a two month-old at home," Fin replied with a little grin. Though her son was a quiet, timid boy that didn't really give them any trouble, it was still taxing to be a mother. She settled down onto her haunches near him, giving him a once over as she did. There was something kind of off about him. He wasn't as... energetic as he used to be. Probably because he'd been traveling a lot before he'd arrived back at the Caldera. Emotional trauma over Somnia or his less-than-warm welcome didn't even occur to her.
"Still up to your old tricks?" she asked conversationally, "Fetching pomegranates and stockpiling plants?"
Whatever tricks he was up to, they weren't exactly what they were before as he gave a shrug, a somethin' like that, and excused himself. Fin watched him go with a confused tilt of her head, but she didn't say anything to stop him. Instead, she turned towards the lake, waded in a few feet until the water was up to her stomach, and leaned her muzzle down to take a long drink.